
Businesswomen are meeting and human resources interviewing in the company office
Tell me a little about yourself.
If you are trying to land your first full or part time job then you should start out by saying that you want a job which currently fits your qualifications and interests and then proceed to say what interests you about the job and give examples from your life so far which should qualify you for the position.
If you have a job history which is diverse without a unifying theme then state that the job is your current interest and why you would be qualified for it based on your current skill set derived from prior job experiences and acquired education which may be selfeducation.
If you have a job history in basically the same field of interest then you can state that the job will advance you in your field of interest as the next step towards your goals in the field of interest. You can also mention what your qualifications for the job position are.
Unless the employer specifically asks for personal details it is best to stay focused on landing the job and giving enough convincing evidence or arguments why you want the job and are qualified for it with real life examples, experiences, and activities.
How did you find out about this job?
Standard answers are the internet, employee of the company, friend or acquaintance, and personal interest.
What do you know about this company?
You can start off by saying it has a good reputation and probably a good place to work. Then after researching the company find out who owns it, who a happy employee might be, that you are interested in the information, products, and services sold or offered by the organization, and whether it is a growing company or a well established firm with a good public reputation.
Why do you want this job?
If you are an entry level assembly line worker then you can admit that you need the money but you should probably say that the job interests you and that you are qualified for it by giving real life examples from your past.
If it is not an entry level position then you can state that you are impressed by the good public reputation that the company has and that you think it will help your career development progress. Basically you are very interested in the company and you feel that you can contribute to it’s success with your qualifications and smart hard work.
What are you passionate about?
You should be passionate about your career choice which should include the job that you are applying for but you can also include some hobbies or non work pastimes which you are passionate about.
Why should we hire you?
You are very interested in the job and qualified for it. Give real life examples of your qualifications based on prior job experience, skills, education which may be self education, and people or social skills.
What are your strengths?
Smart hard worker, punctual, dependable, competent, friendly, empathetic, caring, attention to detail, etc.
What are your weaknesses?
Try not to specify your social weaknesses unless it is a statement that you wish you were a little more extroverted than introverted. I suppose you could also say that at times I am a little too serious and don’t find some things that funny. Give some relatively unimportant examples of this seriousness.
For a position as a sous chef you can simply say that you are not that good at filleting fish or that there is some skill that you want to be better at.
What is your greatest job achievement?
Choose a problem which needed a solution that you solved. Give an example of advice you gave your boss which was taken with satisfactory results. If a member of a team give an example of how your work contributed to a successful team effort. And if you managed a team or a department give an example of a successful team effort or a successful department partial or full reorganization effort.
What problem did you solve which needed solving?
What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
Hopefully it is doing something in the company which you will be working for but it could also be taking some time off to get some useful education to further your career.
What are your goals for the future?
What is your dream job?
Why are you leaving your current job?
Not challenging enough, no room for much advancement, and better salary are all valid answers. Try staying away from severely criticizing a former boss although a toxic work environment could be a valid reason if many employees were leaving because of a poorly managed work environment or some toxic individuals which were not fired and became a huge liability for the company.
Is there anything which makes you unique?
This question is rarely asked but if it is then you can say that you are a little different from other humans but will probably never be as unique as Michael Jackson or Einstein.
Have you gotten angry at work? What happened?
If you mostly work alone then you can pick an example of a time when you got angry at yourself for a mistake or not meeting a deadline.
What have you learned from your mistakes?
Don’t make too many of them or don’t make any serious mistakes or you can get into a lot of trouble with your boss.
What did you like most about your past position?
What did you like least about your past position?
Reasons for leaving the current job are probably also the things which you liked least about your past position.
Why were you fired?
Why did you quit your job?
Reasons for leaving the current job are probably also the things which you liked least about your past position and why you quit.
What’s your management style?
What’s a time when you disagreed with a decision made at work?
How would your boss and coworkers describe you?
Why was there a gap in your employment?
What do you like to do outside of work?
Do you plan to have children?
Do you prefer to work alone or on a team?
Give some examples of teamwork.
Finally, prepping for an interview is always good but remember to be yourself and answer as truthfully as possible and rather spontaneously. If you don’t know what to say or what to answer instantaneously then the best response is to say- I will have to think about this and answer later. This way your true personality will shine through and it should not be pretentious or contrived. If you try to hide a shitty personality and are unqualified for the job then chances are you will get fired from the job anyway sooner or later.
If you liked this evergreen truth blog then read more of them, about 4800 so far, or read one or more of my evergreen truth books, especially EVERGREEN TRUTH, rays of truth in a human world filled with myths and deceptions.
For a complete readily accessible list of blogs and titles go to twitter.com/uldissprogis.
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